The calving season is in full swing on many suckler farms around the country, with farmers progressing nicely through the season.
Figures from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) indicate that 17,843 calves were registered to suckler cows during the week ending March 1.
However, turning back to the same week in 2018, just over 20,914 calves were registered that week. Therefore, this represents a fall of 3,071 head.
Moving to the overall picture in 2019, some 96,351 calves have been registered to suckler cows up to and including the week ending March 1.
Similarly, this is a decrease on the number of suckler calves that were registered in the same period in 2018. In the corresponding period in 2018, some 113,807 suckler calves were registered – a decrease of 17,456 head.
A closer look at the figures available from ICBF show that the difference was smaller between the same period in 2018 versus 2017.
Looking at suckler calf registrations during the same week in 2018, some 16,068 calves were registered, compared to 22,975 in 2017 – a fall of 6,907 head.
Looking at this on a yearly basis, in 2018 some 111,522 beef calves had been registered up to and including the week ending March 2, 2018, compared to 120,651 up to and including the same week in 2017 – a difference of 9,129 head.
Moving to dairy calf registrations, 123,927 calves were registered during the week ending March 1 – an increase of 12,647 head on the corresponding week in 2018.
Over 552,000 dairy calves have been registered so far this year – a decrease of over 20,093 head when compared to the same period in 2017.